Page 58 of The Devil We Know

He grips my hand firmly, leaning in and whispering, “Everything is set.”

I return his handshake, leaning in and asking, “No way out of it?”

He shakes his head, turning us so my back is to the men in the room, and his face is hidden from their view. “No. Matteo’s father is looking for proof that they have been wronged. He will use the virginity claim to seek retribution if it’s not proven with blood.”

I press my lips together, my jaw clenching in agitation at the implication that harm may come to Jessica. “It’s taken care of.”

He glances back at Jessica, who’s still looking at the ground, and then turns back to me and asks, “Can she do this?”

I glance at her fleetingly and then turn to him and reply, “She’s good. She’ll do what she has to do.”

“We have no backup plan here, Mathias,” he replies seriously. “If you fuck this up, we’re all fucked.”

“I won’t fuck it up. It’s just a steppingstone to the end game.”

He says nothing further, simply turning and walking back to the men standing there looking furious. “We can proceed.”

Old man Matteo speaks up, “Yes, let’s get on with it.”

Jessica makes an almost inaudible gasp, and I have to force myself not to turn to her. I chance a look and see her standing awkwardly with her hands grasped in front of her tightly. Once again, I force down my urge to go to her and, instead, walk toward the group of men. They make a path for me, and I swagger up onto a staging area where a rudimentary bed is set up.

Normally, they would do this in the bigger hall, but given they wouldn’t have time to clean up the blood bath in there, they’ve opted for this one. I’m surprised they didn’t do it there surrounded by the dead bodies, but at least this is one reprieve for Jessica.

I strip my shirt over my head, turning back to Jessica and motioning for her to step up beside me. She does so silently, her eyes remaining downcast, and when she stops next to me at the foot of the bed, I ease fractionally closer so if nothing else, she may feel the heat of my body, and I say quietly yet authoritatively, “Strip.”

She freezes, and for a moment, I think I’ll have to repeat myself, but then shaking hands come up, and she strips the dress from her body in one movement, letting it drop to the floor at her feet. She stands there like a statue, the tremble in her body increasing as I’m sure she can feel all the eyes on her naked back and ass, and once again, fury builds up inside me.

A throat clears, and I look over and see Seamus staring at me pointedly with a little shake of his head. I nod in response, and then he turns and says, “I will leave my man here in my stead. I will be right outside in case anyone gets any bright ideas.”

Old Matteo grunts and replies, “There will only be ideas if she turns out to be a fucking lying whore.”

Seamus’ eyes narrow, but he says nothing in response as he turns and swiftly exits the room.

Kaian steps up, his eyes locked with mine as he says, “Get on with it, Matt.”

I nod again, take a deep breath, and center myself down into that darkness.

I turn back to Jessica and say, “Get on the bed.”

She does as she’s told without hesitation or comment, and when she pauses on her hands and knees, my lips twitch as I add, “On your back, legs spread.”

She glances back at me briefly, and her lips also twitch, and for a moment I fear the maniacal laughter may be boiling up inside her again. She manages to control herself, and I move onto the bed, kneeling between her legs. I reach into my pocket, pulling out a small tube of lube, half-expecting someone to tell me I can’t use it, and breathing a sigh of relief when they don’t.

I open the cap, smearing some on my fingers while at the same time removing the tiny plastic ball I had hidden in there. I drop the bottle neatly, taking my lube-smeared fingers and shoving them between her legs. She gasps but manages not to cry out as I scissor my fingers inside her cunt, making sure the little plastic ball bursts, counting on the lube and the fluids to dissolve the evidence. I shove my fingers into her hard and fast, taking some reassurance from the fact I’m not actually hurting her while applauding the show she’s putting on of being uncomfortable.

If nothing else, knowing a bunch of dirty old men are gawking at you is enough to make you uncomfortable, but I temper my movements enough not to draw her any real pleasure.

A soft curse draws my attention to her face, and I see her glaring at me, and my urge to laugh grows. Finally, she whispers, “Quit fucking around.”

I withdraw my fingers from inside her, then yank the front of my pants down, moving closer and positioning myself between her legs. Rubbing the head of my dick in the mixture of blood, lube, and semen from our earlier encounter, I push inside, and she tenses. Her legs squeeze me, and I slap the inside of her thighs until she spreads them for me.

I slide in about halfway and then allow my upper body to fall over hers, so I’m bracing myself on my elbows, with my forearms up under her shoulders, my hands bracketing her head.

I press my cheek against hers and whisper, “Are you okay?”

She makes a choking noise in her throat and manages a slight nod, and I feel her jaw clenching against my cheek. I slowly push the length of my cock inside her until my pelvis is pushing into her clit. She gasps again, a low moan in her throat, and her hips buck up. I pull back slightly as I say, “Oh, you fucking like that? You like having my dick inside you?”

Her response is a quiet sob, her hands clutching at my shoulders.

---